IEEE 802.11 is a set of media access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) specification for implementing wireless local area network (WLAN) communication in the Wi-Fi (2.4, 3.6, 5, and 60 GHz) frequency bands. The 802.11 family consists of a series of half-duplex over-the-air modulation techniques that use the same basic protocol. The standards and amendments provide the basis for wireless network products using the Wi-Fi frequency bands. For example, IEEE 802.11n is an amendment that improves upon the previous IEEE 802.11 standards by adding multiple-input multiple-output antennas (MIMO). IEEE 802.11ac is an amendment to IEEE 802.11 that builds on 802.11n. Changes compared to 802.11n include wider channels (80 or 160 MHz versus 40 MHz) in the 5 GHz band, more spatial streams (up to eight versus four), higher-order modulation (up to 256-QAM vs. 64-QAM), and the addition of Multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO). IEEE 802.11ad is an amendment that defines a new physical layer for 802.11 networks to operate in the 60 GHz millimeter wave spectrum. This frequency band has significantly different propagation characteristics than the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands where Wi-Fi networks operate. IEEE 802.11ah defines a WLAN system operating at sub 1 GHz license-exempt bands. 802.11ah can provide improved transmission range compared with the conventional 802.11 WLANs operating in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. 802.11ah can be used for various purposes including large-scale sensor networks, extended range hotspot, and outdoor Wi-Fi for cellular traffic offloading, whereas the available bandwidth is relatively narrow. IEEE 802.11ax is the successor to 802.11ac; it will increase the efficiency of WLAN networks. IEEE 802.11ax is currently at a very early stage of development and has the goal of providing 4× the throughput of 802.11ac.
As Wi-Fi technology increases in both technical complexity and a broadening feature set, there is a clear need for the industry to define and adopt a common platform where the interoperability of essential, underlying capabilities can be assured. Moreover, the industry and membership will benefit from the availability of a re-usable, modular platform that existing and future Wi-Fi Alliance programs can easily adopt. Wi-Fi Alliance Application Services Platform 2 (ASP2) program builds upon the ASP functionality originally defined in Wi-Fi Direct Services. The goal of the ASP2 is to define the required capabilities and corresponding test plan for the new functionality provided by ASP2.
The ASP functionality in Wi-Fi Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Services specification has defined a service discovery mechanism and connectivity using P2P. In current mobile communications networks, a service advertiser is not restricted to access point (AP). Any wireless station (STA) client can be a service advertiser. The service advertiser can never sleep as long as it provides service. As a result, when STA is being a service advertiser, the high power consumption becomes a main issue for the STA. A solution for service discovery with very low power consumption is sought.